Character figure and use of same as a holder

ABSTRACT

A character figure. The character figure includes a torso portion, a head portion, first and second appendage portions, third and fourth appendage portions and one or more lengths of flexible metal embedded within the character figure. The head portion is connected to the torso portion. The first and second appendage portions are connected to the torso portion. The third and fourth appendage portions are connected to the torso portion. At least two of the appendage portions can be bent into a position to receive and support an apparatus.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of the earlier filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/751,804 filed on Jan. 11, 2013.

BACKGROUND

This application discloses an invention which is related, generally and in various embodiments, to a character figure which may be utilized as a holder.

In today's ever increasingly connected world, more and more people are using mobile devices. Although in many instances the mobile devices are kept “on the person”, the mobile devices are also set on the top surfaces of desks, tables, counters, shelves, nightstands and the like, especially when the mobile devices are being recharged. However, when such mobile devices are simply set on such surfaces, the mobile devices can be easily knocked out of place, with the result often being scratches, nicks and/or gouges to such surfaces. Also, when such mobile devices are removed from such surfaces, the surfaces inevitably become scratched, nicked and/or gouged.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments of the invention are described herein in by way of example in conjunction with the following figures, wherein like reference characters designate the same or similar elements.

FIG. 1 illustrates various embodiments of a character figure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-section view of the character figure of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates various embodiments of a character figure used as a holder for a mobile device;

FIG. 4 illustrates various embodiments of a character figure used as a holder for a mobile device; and

FIGS. 5-7 illustrate various embodiments of the character figure of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It is to be understood that at least some of the figures and descriptions of the invention have been simplified to illustrate elements that are relevant for a clear understanding of the invention, while eliminating, for purposes of clarity, other elements that those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate may also comprise a portion of the invention. However, because such elements are well known in the art, and because they do not facilitate a better understanding of the invention, a description of such elements is not provided herein.

FIG. 1 illustrates various embodiments of a character FIG. 10. Although not shown in FIG. 1 for purposes of simplicity, the character FIG. 10 may be a representation of any fiction or non-fiction character. For example, according to various embodiments, the character FIG. 10 may be a representation of Superman® (See FIG. 5), Spider-Man®, Iron Man® (See FIG. 6), Darth Vader® (See FIG. 7), Homer Simpson, John Cena®, etc. According to various embodiments, the character FIG. 10 may be a representation of a celebrity such as an athlete, a musician, a singer, etc. or based upon a movie, a television show, a video game, a toy, a comic book, etc.

The character FIG. 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes a head portion 12, a torso portion 14, a first appendage portion 16, a second appendage portion 18, a third appendage portion 20 and a fourth appendage portion 22. In general, the head portion 12 is connected to the torso portion 14, and each of the first, second, third and fourth appendages 16, 18, 20, 22 are connected to the torso portion 14. According to various embodiments, the head portion 12 and the respective appendage portions 16, 18, 20, 22 are integral with the torso portion 14. According to other embodiments, the head portion 12 is not integral with the torso portion but the respective appendages 16, 18, 20, 22 are. For such embodiments, the head portion 12 may be mechanically coupled to the torso portion 14 of the character FIG. 10.

As shown in FIG. 1, according to various embodiments, the head portion 12 includes a neck portion 13 integral therewith. For such embodiments, the neck portion 13 may be integral with the torso portion 14 or mechanically coupled to the torso portion 14. According to other embodiments, the neck portion 13 is a separate component which is mechanically coupled to the head portion 14. For such embodiments, the neck portion 13 may be integral with the torso portion 14 or mechanically coupled to the torso portion.

Although not shown in FIG. 1 for purposes of simplicity, the head portion 12 may be formed to represent features of the given character FIG. 10 such as, for example, hair, ears, eyebrows, a nose, lips, a chin, etc. The first and second appendage portions 16, 18 may be formed to represent features such as, for example, arms, elbows, wrists, hands, fingers, etc. Similarly, the third and fourth appendage portions 20, 22 may be formed to represent features such as, for example, legs, knees, ankles, feet, toes, etc. Additionally, the exterior of the character FIG. 10 may include colors, emblems, accessories, costumes, etc. associated with the character FIG. 10. According to various embodiments, the accessories (e.g., helmets, masks, capes, belts, boots, etc.) may be formed integral with the character FIG. 10. According to other embodiments, the accessories may be made of a different material and connected to the character FIG. 10.

The character FIG. 10 may be of any suitable size and shape, and may be formed from any suitable flexible material. For example, according to various embodiments, the character FIG. 10 is formed from a flexible material such as a plastic (e.g., a polyvinyl chloride), a rubber (e.g., a natural rubber, a vulcanized rubber, a synthetic rubber) or the like. According to various embodiments, the head portion 12, the neck portion 13 and/or a portion of the third and fourth appendage portions 20, 22 (e.g., the feet of the third and fourth appendage portions 20, 22) is formed from a plastic , a rubber or the like which has a hardness that is greater than a hardness of the plastic, the rubber, or the like that the torso portion 14 and/or other components of the character FIG. 10 are formed from. It will be appreciated that forming the feet of the third and fourth appendage portions 20, 22 can provide a more stable foundation for the character FIG. 10.

Although only one head portion 12 and four appendage portions 16, 18, 20, 22 are shown for the embodiments of FIG. 1, it will be appreciated that according to other embodiments, depending on the particular character figure, the character FIG. 10 may include any number of head portions and/or appendage portions. For example, according to various embodiments, a particular character figure may have four or six arms instead of two. Additionally, different embodiments of the character FIG. 10 may include different accessories or colors, different footwear (e.g., boots), different masks, different body shapes and sizes, etc. According to various embodiments, the footwear accessories are formed from a plastic, a rubber or the like which has a hardness that is greater than a hardness of the plastic, the rubber, or the like that the torso portion 14 and/or other components of the character FIG. 10 are formed from. It will be appreciated that forming the footwear accessories can provide a more stable foundation for the character FIG. 10. According to various embodiments, the character FIG. 10 may be embodied as a male or a female, and may be a representation of an animal or animal-like creature, an alien looking character, a zombie, a robot, a monster, etc.

As shown in FIG. 2, the character FIG. 10 also includes one or more lengths of a flexible metal 24 may be embedded within the character FIG. 10. The flexible metal 24 may be any suitable type of metal (e.g., aluminum, copper, alloys, etc.) and may be of any suitable size and shape (e.g., flat wire, round wire, etc.). One or more lengths of the flexible metal 24 may be embedded within (1) the appendage portions 16, 20 and within the torso portion 14 proximate the appendage portions 16, 18 and/or (2) the appendage portions 20, 22 and within the torso portion 14 proximate the appendage portions 20, 22.

As shown in FIG. 2, a given length of flexible metal 24 may be arranged in a “open loop formation” within the character FIG. 10. For the appendage portion 16, a first length of flexible metal 24 may be configured in a loop arrangement in the appendage portion 16 and may include a first end and second end terminating within the torso portion 14 proximate the appendage portion 16. Additionally, a second length of flexible metal 24 may extend from the first length of flexible metal 24 proximate the “thumb area” of the appendage 16. The arrangement for the flexible metal 24 in the appendage 18 may be similar to that in the appendage 16. For the appendage portions 20, 22, a third length of the flexible metal 24 may be configured in a loop arrangement in the third and fourth appendage portions 20, 22, where the flexible metal 24 is “looped” in the respective “leg areas” of the appendage portions 20, 22 as well as in the torso area 14 between the appendage portions 20, 22, and wherein the third length of flexible metal 24 may include first and second ends terminating within the torso portion 14 above the respective appendage portions 20, 22.

According to various embodiments, one or more lengths of the flexible metal 24 may also be embedded within the head portion 12 and/or the neck portion 13 and within the torso portion 14 proximate the head portion 12 and/or the neck portion 13. For such embodiments, a length of flexible metal 24 may be configured in a loop arrangement within the head portion 12 and/or the neck portion 13 and may include a first end and second end terminating within the torso portion 14 proximate the head portion 12 and/or the neck portion 13.

When the flexible metal 24 is configured as shown in FIG. 2, the appendage portions 16, 18, 20, 22 may each be moved relative to the torso portion 14 and bent into various positions. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the appendage portions 16, 18 may be placed into a position where the appendage portions 16, 18 are bent so as to be able to “wrap around” the apparatus 26 and keep the apparatus 26 in a particular position relative to the character FIG. 10. Thus, when the character FIG. 10 and an edge of the apparatus 26 are positioned on a top surface of a desk, a table, a counter, a shelf, a nightstand, a dresser, a mantle and the like, the appendage portions 16, 18 of the character FIG. 10 can be used to hold the apparatus 26 such that the apparatus 26 does not move relative to the top surface of the desk, table, counter, shelf, nightstand, etc. and/or the character FIG. 10. Although not shown in FIG. 3 for purposes of simplicity, it will be appreciated that the respective lengths of flexible metal 24 embedded within the appendage portions 16, 18 are bent proximate the respective “elbow areas” of the appendage portions 16, 18 of the character FIG. 10. Furthermore, although the “forearm area” and the “bicep area” of the respective appendage portions 16, 18 are shown as being bent at different angles relative to one another, it will be appreciated that the “forearm area” and “bicep area” of the respective appendage portions 16, 18 may be bent at any angle (in any direction) relative to one another. Additionally, it will also be appreciated that the “hand area” of the appendage portions 16, 18 can also be bent as needed to secure the apparatus 26 in place.

As shown in FIG. 4, the appendage portions 16, 18 may be placed into a position other than that shown in FIG. 3 such that the appendage portions 16, 18 are bent so as to be able to “wrap around” and/or receive and support the apparatus 26. Thus, when the character FIG. 10 is positioned on a top surface of a desk, a table, a counter, a shelf, a nightstand, a dresser, a mantle and the like, the appendage portions 16, 18 of the character FIG. 10 can be used to hold the apparatus 26 such that the apparatus 26 is supported above and is not sitting directly on the top surface of the desk, table, counter, shelf, nightstand, etc. Although not shown in FIG. 4 for purposes of simplicity, it will be appreciated that the respective lengths of flexible metal 24 embedded within the appendage portions 16, 18 are bent proximate the respective “elbow areas” of the appendage portions 16, 18 of the character FIG. 10. Furthermore, although the “forearm area” and the “bicep area” of the respective appendage portions 16, 18 are shown as being bent at different angles relative to one another, it will be appreciated that the “forearm area” and “bicep area” of the respective appendage portions 16, 18 may be bent at any angle (in any direction) relative to one another. Additionally, it will also be appreciated that the “hand area” of the appendage portions 16, 18 can also be bent as needed to secure the apparatus 26 in place. In view of the above, it will be appreciated how the character FIG. 10 can be used as a holder for an apparatus 26.

Although the apparatus 26 is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 as being held in place by the first and second appendage portions 16, 18, it will be appreciated that according to other embodiments the apparatus 26 may be held in place by only one appendage portion (e.g., appendage portion 16) or by more than two appendage portions (e.g., appendage portions 16, 18 and 20). Additionally, although the apparatus 26 is shown as a smart phone in FIGS. 3 and 4, it will be appreciated that the apparatus 26 may be embodied as other things such as, for example, a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant, a tablet, a reading device such as an e-reader, a navigation system, a music player, a pair of eyeglasses, a remote control device, a pen, certain shaped foods (e.g., candy bars, granola bars, etc.), business cards, a picture frame, etc. Additionally, as the character FIG. 10 may be of any suitable size and shape, it will be appreciated that according to various embodiments, the character FIG. 10 may be utilized to hold or support mobile devices, tablets, etc. much larger than the smart phone shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

FIGS. 5-7 illustrate various embodiments of the character FIG. 10 of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 shows the character FIG. 10 embodied as Superman®. FIG. 6 shows the character FIG. 10 embodied as Iron Man®. FIG. 7 shows the character FIG. 10 embodied as Darth Vader®. As set forth hereinabove, it will be appreciated that the character FIG. 10 may be embodied as representations of many other fiction or non-fiction characters.

Nothing in the above description is meant to limit the invention to any specific materials, geometry, proportions or orientation of elements. Many part/orientation substitutions are contemplated within the scope of the invention and will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The embodiments described herein were presented by way of example only and should not be used to limit the scope of the invention.

Although the invention has been described in terms of particular embodiments in this application, one of ordinary skill in the art, in light of the teachings herein, can generate additional embodiments and modifications without departing from the spirit of, or exceeding the scope of, the described invention. For example, although the character FIG. 10 was described in the context of bending its two “arm” appendage portions to receive and support an apparatus 26, according to other embodiments, the additional “arm” appendage portions could also be bent (either in lieu of or in addition to the two “arm” appendage portions) to receive and support an apparatus 26. Accordingly, it is understood that the drawings and the descriptions herein are proffered only to facilitate comprehension of the invention and should not be construed to limit the scope thereof. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A character figure, comprising: a torso portion; a head portion connected to the torso portion; first and second appendage portions connected to the torso portion; third and fourth appendage portions connected to the torso portion, ; and one or more lengths of flexible metal embedded within the character figure, wherein at least two of the appendage portions can be bent into a position to receive and support an apparatus.
 2. The character figure of claim 1, wherein the head portion comprises a first material and the torso portion comprises a second material, wherein a hardness of the first material is greater than a hardness of the second material.
 3. The character figure of claim 1, wherein the head portion comprises a neck portion connected to the torso portion.
 4. The character figure of claim 2, wherein the neck portion is integral with the head portion.
 5. The character figure of claim 1, wherein the following are integral with the torso portion: the first and second appendage portions; and the third and fourth appendage portions.
 6. The character figure of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more lengths of flexible metal are configured in a loop arrangement.
 7. The character figure of claim 1, wherein one of the one or more lengths of flexible metal are embedded within the first appendage portion and the torso portion.
 8. The character figure of claim 1, wherein one of the one or more lengths of flexible metal are embedded within the second appendage portion and the torso portion.
 9. The character figure of claim 1, wherein one of the one or more lengths of flexible metal are embedded within the head portion and the torso portion.
 10. The character figure of claim 1, further comprising an accessory connected to one of the following: the torso portion; the head portion; the first appendage portion; the second appendage portion; the third appendage portion; and the fourth appendage portion.
 11. The character figure of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is at least one of the following: a mobile phone; a personal digital assistant; a tablet; a reading device; a navigation system; a music player; a pair of eyeglasses; and a remote control device.
 12. A method of using a character figure to receive and support an apparatus, the character figure having one or more lengths of flexible metal embedded therein, the method comprising: bending a first appendage portion of the character figure into a first position; and placing the apparatus in contact with a surface of the first appendage portion.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein bending the first appendage portion comprises at least one of the following: bending the first appendage portion relative to the torso portion; bending a second portion of the first appendage portion relative to the first portion of the first appendage portion; and bending a third portion of the first appendage portion relative to the second portion of the first appendage portion.
 14. The method of claim 12, wherein placing the apparatus in contact with the surface of the first appendage portion comprises placing one of the following in contact with the surface of the first appendage portion: a mobile phone; a personal digital assistant; a tablet; a reading device; a navigation system; a music player; a pair of eyeglasses; and a remote control device.
 15. The method of claim 12, further comprising: bending a second appendage portion of the character figure into a second position; and placing the apparatus in contact with a surface of the second appendage portion.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the second position is different than the first position.
 17. The method of claim 15, further comprising: bending a third appendage portion of the character figure into a third position; and placing the apparatus in contact with a surface of the third appendage portion.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the third position is different than at least one of the following: the first position; and the second position.
 19. The method of claim 12, further comprising placing an edge of the apparatus on a top surface of one of the following: a desk; a table; a counter; a shelf; a nightstand; a dresser; and a mantle. 